suggestions of small, supportive, more relaxed Anes residencies?

[Swimmer122]

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Hi,
I'm a 4th year medical student interested in applying in Anesthesiology. I'm looking for small, supportive residency programs that are relaxed but still relatively good clinical training. Even though I did my medical school at an ivy-league university, I've realized that I have no interest in research and would like to go into private practice eventually. I know that residency is going to be hard no matter what, but I'm looking for it to be as painless as possible. Any suggestions/advice? I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[Gimlet]

Hi,
I'm a 4th year medical student interested in applying in Anesthesiology. I'm looking for small, supportive residency programs that are relaxed but still relatively good clinical training. Even though I did my medical school at an ivy-league university, I've realized that I have no interest in research and would like to go into private practice eventually. I know that residency is going to be hard no matter what, but I'm looking for it to be as painless as possible. Any suggestions/advice? I would greatly appreciate it.

Well, Maine Medical Center and Virginia Mason are both excellent programs with smaller class sizes and faculties based out of private groups. UVM also had a small, friendly feel on interview day, and they certainly don't put an overt emphasis on research.

I don't know if any of those residencies are any less "painful" or more "relaxed" (whatever that means) than an ivy-league university or large academic center, but they probably meet your criteria for size and support. FWIW, none of the programs I interviewed at had any requirement for research, no matter what the size. There are places that mention it, and places that gloss over it, but no place really made a big deal out of it.

 

[coprolalia]

Why limit yourself?

If you have an Ivy-league education and did well in your rotations and on the boards, you will likely be highly coveted somewhere. Don't go all soft and lazy on us now. And, you might change your mind in a year or two and decide that you really like academic medicine. You never know.

-copro

 

[lfesiam]

Well, Maine Medical Center and Virginia Mason are both excellent programs with smaller class sizes and faculties based out of private groups. UVM also had a small, friendly feel on interview day, and they certainly don't put an overt emphasis on research.

I don't know if any of those residencies are any less "painful" or more "relaxed" (whatever that means) than an ivy-league university or large academic center, but they probably meet your criteria for size and support. FWIW, none of the programs I interviewed at had any requirement for research, no matter what the size. There are places that mention it, and places that gloss over it, but no place really made a big deal out of it.

I take the definition of "relaxed" = awesome cool personalities that you can relate to during interview days (talk to as many residents/attendings/coordinators as you can). This may sound weird but as you go on your interviews, you will gradually notice the "personalities" of each programs. the hard part is seeing which one will best suit yours! and remember that in the end of the day, it will probably come down to LOCATION.

I seconded Maine Medical Center, went there for an interview last year. Totally impressed with the program given the size. Have a "private practice" flavor to it. You will also learn the "business" side of things. However, most of the attendings are from the power houses in boston (MGH, children hospital, etc...) - hence the fellowships networking. Portland is gorgeous, winter is very cold but not as cold as the great lakes areas.

But, if you want to keep academia in the back of your mind....yet prefer a smaller program with a decent reputation = Mayo Clinic Arizona and Florida are also awesome "smaller" programs with a more "academic" flavor in a warm exotic location 🙂 I may be a bit bias though hehehehe. 😀 If you want to do regional, Mayo-Florida is exceptional! (Mayo often recruits their own graduate for jobs)

For me, the most important factors during ranking= LOCATION AND WIFE

Programs will know this...so BRING YOUR SPOUSE (if you got one, fly him/her with you) TO INTERVIEW DINNERS, TALK ABOUT THE LOCALES + TIES TO AREA IN YOUR ESSAYS AND INTERVIEWS.

 

[drchick331]

For me, the most important factors during ranking= LOCATION AND WIFE

Programs will know this...so BRING YOUR SPOUSE (if you got one, fly him/her with you) TO INTERVIEW DINNERS, TALK ABOUT THE LOCALES + TIES TO AREA IN YOUR ESSAYS AND INTERVIEWS.

Is it okay to bring spouses to interviews if there is no formal invite mentioned? For me, proximity to my husband is a huge factor in my decision and I would like to leverage that if at all possible - I did mention it in my PS for certain geographic regions. Any other thoughts?

 

[bigdan]

OP -

What area of the country are you looking at?

If NY is an option, I think that Albany Medical Center might be an option. Not a huge place, not gonna pump you for papers/research, and (how do I say this nicely?) might not the single most coveted place in the country. *DISCLAIMER - I'm from 'round those parts, and love the area - I'm not bashing anything*

Just be aware of what your definition of "relaxed" is. I think finding a relaxed intern year might be a bit more difficult that finding a relaxed anesthesia program; there are a ton of (rumored) cush intern year programs, but you're competing with numerical superstars that are looking for an easy year before starting Rad-Onc/Derm/Ophtho/Rads/whatever else, so those might be tougher to get. More importantly, "relaxed" anesthesiology can be different for different people. Some might find having to sit/stand for cases, one eye on a pt/one eye on a monitor EVERYDAY with surgical personalities could NEVER EVER be relaxed; some might just not want to be forced to moonlight. I'd conjecture that having to ever routinely do overnight, in house call could never be relaxed, but that's just me. Keep your eyes open, and ask a lot of questions.

Good luck with things.

dc

 

[mcgreen]

Why limit yourself?

If you have an Ivy-league education and did well in your rotations and on the boards, you will likely be highly coveted somewhere. Don't go all soft and lazy on us now. And, you might change your mind in a year or two and decide that you really like academic medicine. You never know.

-copro

Why limit yourself?

Get into the best program you can, You want a place where you will be doing tough cases and have extensive experience to all aspects of anesthesia. You never know what changes are ahead. You will never go wrong going to the best residency you can get into. If you take an easy residency and the job situation tightens up significantly, you might be passed over for jobs you would have been offered, if you had gone to the the best program you could get into.

 

[lfesiam]

Is it okay to bring spouses to interviews if there is no formal invite mentioned? For me, proximity to my husband is a huge factor in my decision and I would like to leverage that if at all possible - I did mention it in my PS for certain geographic regions. Any other thoughts?

I would ask first, wouldn't hurt.

Usually most allowed spouses at dinner/ get together. 👍

bigD, Gimlet - good to see you guys here! hope intern year is going well!!!

 

[Haole]

Tulane has a great program with very reasonable hours. I think they take a half dozen/year or so. PD was way cool. NOLA's not for everyone though.

 

[Swimmer122]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. In terms of location, I have personal ties to NJ, Florida, and Boston, but I'd be open to other places. I have no significant other to keep in mind. Ideally, I'd like to learn alot...just in the most humane way possible.

What are PD and NOLA?

Other people have recommended St. Luke's--Does anyone know anything about that program? What about the DC programs--GW/Georgetown?

I really appreciate all your advice. Maybe I have gone soft, but I think I'm OK with that. 🙂

 

[DO4lifer]

Hi,
I'm a 4th year medical student interested in applying in Anesthesiology. I'm looking for small, supportive residency programs that are relaxed but still relatively good clinical training. Even though I did my medical school at an ivy-league university, I've realized that I have no interest in research and would like to go into private practice eventually. I know that residency is going to be hard no matter what, but I'm looking for it to be as painless as possible. Any suggestions/advice? I would greatly appreciate it.

find a state with a population less than 2 million. apply there. relaxed programs are those with low numbers.

i would recommend you do the opposite. this is your career you are talking about. you wanna be good or do you wanna be great? get into the busiest of programs, where you get to do a variety of cases and work your tail off.

 

[Bertelman]

find a state with a population less than 2 million. apply there. relaxed programs are those with low numbers.

i would recommend you do the opposite. this is your career you are talking about. you wanna be good or do you wanna be great? get into the busiest of programs, where you get to do a variety of cases and work your tail off.

"Relaxed" programs don't necessarily equal low numbers. Being at one of the aforementioned relaxed programs, I can say that I hit my case numbers easily, and early. One of the benefits of going to a smaller program is that you have less competition for cases. Beyond the first 6 months, I do interesting cases every day.

I chose a smaller program because the staff were more supportive and approachable. Not because they stick me in the ortho room every day and let me out by 3 p.m. I would actually be quite disappointed if that were the case. My attendings aren't lightweights that have chosen to slow their careers down. But they're also not bound by the academic dogma that restricts thought at many of the bigger programs.

As I read this thread, it reminds me of all the lame-ass threads in the pre-med forums asking if they should attend a state school or f-ing Hopkins. There is no right answer, other than to go to the place that feels best for you. A responsible individual can attend either med school and emerge a good physician. Likewise, a smart graduate should be able to extract what they need to excel at either a small or large program, as long as the clinical experience is available. If the OP (or any lurkers) feel they may prefer an environment with fewer attitudes and smaller class size, he should know that it isn't automatically at the expense of a quality education or clinical experience. To say otherwise is misleading.

 

[lfesiam]

I seconded bertelman's post. 👍

to lurkers, don't be afraid to ask questions, some of us recently went through this process.

still fresh in our mind.

some general advice:

1) Try to rack up the AIRLINE MILES! sign up for a frequent flyer account if you don't have one currently. I was able to pay for my disney world trip with the free interview season miles for both my wife and I, WHOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOO! Some even sign up for that yearly EXECUTIVE AIRLINE LOUNGE access.

flight scheduling tips:

- www.kayak.com

- group the interviews by region i.e.

- buy multi city ticket - i flew to 6 citites for $600 in one month! can be done.


2) GET A GPS, take it with you for car rentals during your interviews. Will save you lots of headaches 😀

 

[Haole]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. In terms of location, I have personal ties to NJ, Florida, and Boston, but I'd be open to other places. I have no significant other to keep in mind. Ideally, I'd like to learn alot...just in the most humane way possible.

What are PD and NOLA?

Other people have recommended St. Luke's--Does anyone know anything about that program? What about the DC programs--GW/Georgetown?

I really appreciate all your advice. Maybe I have gone soft, but I think I'm OK with that. 🙂

PD = program director
NOLA = New Orleans, LA

 

[bigdan]

Good point, Bertle.

OP - another thing that I'd suggest is doing some aways. I see you're at an, um, ivy-league medical school. If it's a super high-powered huge place, try to do any away at one of the aforementioned programs to see if they are a good fit for you. I went to a medical school with a 580 bed hospital located in the suburbs, which had some (but not much) trauma, small ICUs, and only kidney transplant. I did an away at a HUGE program, and found that a little larger sized program with more diverse cases is what I wanted. I think being able to have the perspective of two different program styles really helped me as I interviewed.

dc

 

[Southpaw]

Hi,
I'm a 4th year medical student interested in applying in Anesthesiology. I'm looking for small, supportive residency programs that are relaxed but still relatively good clinical training. Even though I did my medical school at an ivy-league university, I've realized that I have no interest in research and would like to go into private practice eventually. I know that residency is going to be hard no matter what, but I'm looking for it to be as painless as possible. Any suggestions/advice? I would greatly appreciate it.

I'd venture to say that most anesthesiology residents in most residency classes have no long term interest in research. When I interviewed this past cycle there were a couple programs that spoke highly of their clinical training and 'community' feel. Maine Medical and UT-Knoxville are two of these programs. I really enjoyed both of these interviews. Both programs are run by private practices. Like Bertie said, this type of program won't sell you short on clinical training. Dartmouth was small, but had a more academic feel and I have no doubt you'd get absolutely excellent training there. I loved it there. Still, look at each program objectively and don't go into the interview season set on a small program. Try to keep an open mind.

What cases do you want to make sure you see during residency? Ask yourself this question. Do you want to do liver transplants, major trauma and lots of it, lots of pediatric hearts? Do you want a lot of ICU? How's the regional training of the program you're interviewing at? These are just some of the questions you need to consider. Residency is going to be hard wherever you go, but it's the only period of your medical career where you're doing the work but still have oversight and some to look to for the answers. Afterwards, people will be coming to YOU for the answers. Look for the program where you'll get great support from the faculty and where you think you can flourish. There are a lot of great programs out there, and they all have their intricacies and uniqueness.

 

[lfesiam]

I couldn't stand when applicants brought their spouses to interview dinners. I prefer to see them on their own. Just another opinion.

Dr. DreamMachine bought up a good point. Made me think of another observation I had.

During interview events, asked yourself... HOW MANY RESIDENTS ARE MARRIED, PREGNANT, HAVE KIDS and brought them to the events/dinners. The more presence = probably a more family friendly residency. HOW MANY ARE SINGLES? would you fit in with the group?

From travelling everywhere last year...Programs concentrated in the northeast (big cities) had more singles while programs in the south/midwest far from big cities had a greater ratio of married folks. West coast is a mixed bag. There are multiple exceptions however. See it for yourself and decide 🙂

 

[deleted21609]

Tulane has a great program with very reasonable hours. I think they take a half dozen/year or so. PD was way cool. NOLA's not for everyone though.

I heard they were 'pathologically relaxed' last year. 🙄

 

[deleted50478]

What are PD and NOLA?

Program director. New Orleans, LA

I know someone already answered that question, but I thought that question was mine for some reason.

 

[Bertelman]

Program director. New Orleans, LA

I know someone already answered that question, but I thought that question was mine for some reason.

Hey, we waited 5 hours for you to respond. You can't walk away from the round table forum and return 2 days later wondering why someone took your seat.

 

[boggy]

SLR--50-55 hours per week,
now a categorical program
subsidized housing in manhattan
works if you want to be in manhattan-
think twice if you are not city person
very diverse group of residents from all over
chair is wonderful, supportive
program director is very forgiving of resident's sins---
supportive of research--many residents present at ASA, IARS
regional anesthesia is the big draw here--look at NYSORA website
no major heart, lung, liver transplants
level 1 trauma
residents get good fellowships when finished

all in all a moderate sized program in Manhattan with just enough intensity

 

[CambieMD]

Why limit yourself?

If you have an Ivy-league education and did well in your rotations and on the boards, you will likely be highly coveted somewhere. Don't go all soft and lazy on us now. And, you might change your mind in a year or two and decide that you really like academic medicine. You never know.

-copro

😎

Cambie

 

[mstudent12345]

I would suggest checking out Mt Sinai in manhattan. Actually a pretty top program but very supportive and laid back.

 

[doozenberg]

.

 

[coprolalia]

I'm just re-posting here to give Bertelman a handjob. It's not because he pays homage to me in each of his posts with his tag-line, but because he always has good things to say.

-copro

 

[Sammich81]

I'm at Case Western University Hospitals in Cleveland. My program is not laid back in terms of case volume--we are in the 99th percentile or case volume in the country apparently---and the patients are sick as snot (do ASA I's even exist in Cleveland?) but it is a very close-knit and supportive program. 12 residents per year. I love the people I work with, like 99% of my attendings, and would match here again in a heartbeat.

 

[foxtrot]

If you want laid back in the midwest, try SLU in St. Louis, MO. The residents I know who graduated from this program seemed very happy with their choice.
If you want east coast and don't mind the cold, the University of Vermont is a very laid back and resident friendly place. I have friends who are there now and they really like it. It is very common that faculty relieve resident at 5pm so that they can go home and read. Hell would freeze over where I trained as a resident if a faculty came and relieved me to go study. 😎

 

[Impromptu]

I remember when touring University Hospitals on my interview, they were on the verge of having an awesome room for the residents with a big screen TV. Did that ever come to fruition?

 

[lfesiam]

If you want laid back in the midwest, try SLU in St. Louis, MO. The residents I know who graduated from this program seemed very happy with their choice.
If you want east coast and don't mind the cold, the University of Vermont is a very laid back and resident friendly place. I have friends who are there now and they really like it. It is very common that faculty relieve resident at 5pm so that they can go home and read. Hell would freeze over where I trained as a resident if a faculty came and relieved me to go study. 😎

I seconded Vermont. Went up there for an interview last year! Best interview hospitality package - seconded only to New Mexico. Arizona was also way cool...sigh..ranking them all was probably one of the most difficult decisions in my life, ...that will warrant another post at another time.... Awesome places, will definitely apply again during fellowship times!!👍

Also have a buddy at SLU 😀 (shouting out to you GQ, we'll grab a beer soon, will probably visit in Jan)

 

[bobg504]

SLR--50-55 hours per week,
now a categorical program
subsidized housing in manhattan
works if you want to be in manhattan-
think twice if you are not city person
very diverse group of residents from all over
chair is wonderful, supportive
program director is very forgiving of resident's sins---
supportive of research--many residents present at ASA, IARS
regional anesthesia is the big draw here--look at NYSORA website
no major heart, lung, liver transplants
level 1 trauma
residents get good fellowships when finished

all in all a moderate sized program in Manhattan with just enough intensity

Actually they arent from all over...the MAJORITY of the those who matched last year came from SUNY Downstate. SLR is a good program nonetheless.

 

[Sammich81]

I remember when touring University Hospitals on my interview, they were on the verge of having an awesome room for the residents with a big screen TV. Did that ever come to fruition?

I should probably neither confirm nor deny that 😉 😀 because it would be quite a nice thing to have, wouldn't it?

 

[drccw]

I'm going to buck the trend. You want a supportive residency? Try a large one, like one with over 20 residents a year. Sure some of them are malignant but the strenght in numbers means that if you want to have a baby, or something like that where you're going to be out of the OR for a little while means it's a whole lot easier when you are 1 of 20 in a year versus 1 of 5....

 

[Johnisit1234]

I would suggest Emory. Great program, academic but home town feel.

 

[Hockeyguy]

I would reccomend UVA to the OP. That was a great interview and I almost ranked them 1. I have a friend that went there got great training and had a great residency. I would definately apply there.

 

[Narcotized]

Tulane.... PD was way cool.

Are you the PD or his mom? Way cool wouldn't be my choice of words.